It is over a year now when the world leaders gathered in New York to propose a 17-goal agenda with 69 components aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, as well as ensuring prosperity for all. The United Nations (UN) described these goals as those that will “transform our world” within the next 15 years, which lapses in 2030.
These goals include campaign to end poverty, working to achieve zero hunger, provision of good health and well-being, access to quality education, achieving gender equality, access to potable water and sanitation, affordable clean energy, decent work and economic growth, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities.
Others are responsible consumption and production, climate action, protection of lives below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnerships for the goals.
These set goals are to build upon the gains of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The new goals are achievable if we collectively play our part towards their actualisation before the deadline. However, the slow global economic growth, rising political tensions across the globe, unending wars in Syria, provocations from North Korea, terrorist attacks in Europe, gun violence in America, Boko Haram/Biafra/Niger-Delta crisis in Nigeria and many more are some of the hindering factors that may affect the actualisation of these goals.
Except urgent actions are taken to address and arrest the ugly incidents globally, the situation at hand would become worrisome and gradually reversing some of the gains and achievements of the MDGs.
The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the world is becoming alarming, because of the renewed conflicts in Africa and Middle-East. These crises we witness daily are caused more by human factors. Only a measureable fraction is caused by natural disasters as seen in the case of Haiti and other countries rocked by hurricane and earthquakes. In Africa where the frequent of natural disasters are reduced, most IDPs are rendered homeless because of political and ethno-religious crises.
It would be recalled that, after the post-MDGs’ 15-year plan, the success recorded included lifting about one billion people out of extreme poverty. About 137 million children got enrolled in primary schools, deaths from diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis were reduced drastically. These and many more gave hope for the transformation of our world, but the above-mentioned impediments need to be tackled without further delay. If world leaders do not introduce measures to contain crises caused by human factors, things might go out of hand and many more people may be displaced in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
There is an urgent need to review the remote causes of human crises. From this writer’s point of view, politics and religion are at the bottom of the crises. It is my belief that we need a genuine and sincere political solutions and quick action that would possibly provide positive outcome. The SDGs goals would amount to a journey to nowhere if proper measures are not taken.
In other to move forward, there is need for the democratisation of the UN Security Council and also the convocation of international conference on peace. More so, there should be a sincere call for ceasefire and hostilities in all flashpoints of the world. The America’s divisive foreign policy on democratisation in the Middle-East and elsewhere should be reviewed. This would reduce conflicts and restore confidence in America’s effort to promote democracy in places where civil rule is alien.
Sheyi is a Postgraduate diploma student of Conflict, Development and Security, University of Leeds, UK.
A trainee shoemaker briefs UNIC Director, Mr Ronald Kayanja about shoe making.[/caption]